Gambling Syndicate Targeted College Basketball Games, Report Finds

^{Mississippi Valley State’s Antonio Sisk is shown alongside Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger during a game in 2024. Mississippi Valley State was among several schools reportedly targeted by a gambling syndicate last season. (Photo: Byron Houlgrave / Associated Press)}

At least 11 men’s college basketball games were targeted by an alleged gambling syndicate over a six-week period last season, according to an ESPN report. Documents in that investigation show that those games involved many of the same schools already under investigation by the NCAA for gambling violations.

ESPN obtained documents that detailed the gambling behaviors of alleged syndicate members starting on Dec. 1, 2024, and continued through January 2025.

Sportsbooks Flag Unusual First-Half Betting

Monitoring firm IC360 reported that at least nine sportsbooks across 13 states and one Canadian province detected similar unusual betting activity on the games in question. 

In general, the gamblers allegedly wagered large amounts against the same teams and won consistently. While the large bets alone aren't cause for concern, other behaviors from the accounts making those bets did raise some red flags.

According to documents cited by ESPN, some customers suddenly opened new accounts, returned from long periods of inactivity, or placed unusually larger bets than they typically would. This also includes some customers who placed multiple wagers on the first-half spreads of games.

The teams repeatedly bet against included Eastern Michigan, Mississippi Valley State, New Orleans, North Carolina A&T, Temple, and Stony Brook. All of these schools with former players under investigation by the NCAA. For example, IC360 received reports about unusual betting activity on Norfolk State to cover the first-half spread against Stony Brook on Dec. 1, 2024.

The report documents a series of suspicious activities that were flagged by sportsbooks in various states. These include incidents in which bettors made larger than normal bets on first-half spreads in Mississippi, including wagering against New Orleans on four separate occasions.

“In all cases we have seen betting either from individuals that placed bets in matches already raised, or a similar pattern from new customers in the same geographical area – mostly in retail sportsbooks,” FanDuel wrote in response to a series of questionable bets, including activity on bets against Mississippi Valley State in a game against Alabama A&M. 

Sports Betting Expansion Raises Profile of Monitoring Firms

While nobody is pleased to see suspicious activity, IC360 told ESPN that monitoring operations like itself help to provide a valuable service in the gambling landscape.

“Although the underlying suspicious activity is, of course, concerning, we are proud to be a part of a group of invested stakeholders diligently collaborating to combat bad actors in sport,” an IC360 spokesperson said. 

According to ESPN, one sportsbook identified Marves Fairley, a man from Mississippi, as “the main syndicate suspect.” Fairley denied any involvement in points-shaving or other gambling schemes related to college basketball, telling ESPN that his only connection to sports betting is that he sells picks online. 

Additionally, some of the same betting accounts that wagered on these games were also tied to suspicious bets on Terry Rozier and Jontay Porter. Porter was banned from the NBA for manipulating his performances for betting purposes.

The NCAA has been dealing with a slew of gambling controversies over the past year. In September, the NCAA banned three former Fresno State basketball players for gambling activities after one of the players admitted to purposely underperforming to hit Under bets. At the same time, the organization is relaxing some of its gambling rules by allowing athletes and coaches to bet on professional sports where it is legal for them to do so, saying the change will help focus enforcement on more serious integrity issues.